Business Value Innovative
Thinking Symbols

BVITS is a systematic thinking
methods for creative and breakthrough ideas on demand. By following BVITS,
users can come out with break through ideas easily. BVITS is easy to learn
but it is extensible to suit the domain of your problems or business.

BVITS is an integration of many creative and innovative thinking methods, visual
and mind mapping, axiomatic design, system thinking and others for breakthrough innovative thinking.
It is useful for generating new innovative ideas, problem solving, process re-engineering, new products and services, and even Business Strategies and policies.

Innovative thinking differs from just creative thinking
in that the thinking must result in providing
business value to the users of the methods, services or
products.

First step is to identify the system and relate to its environment.

We need not be exhaustive at first. BVITS is a iterative method. We can
analyze the system and its environment more when we reach a jam.

System does not exists alone. It is related to its environment. The
boundary and interfaces between the systems and the environment, and the
components in the environment provides opportunities for new innovations
or answers to the problems faced in the system. As proponents of Triz
method like to say "the solution to the problems lies in its
environment".

Step two is to Apply the Operator

Which operator to start with is not important. We are also encourage to
combine the operators. The generate ideas through the various combinations
are to challenge our mind and break our thinking inertia. Hence it is
important not to throw out the ideas immediately as nonsense or
impractical. It is to challenge to think of possible uses and value of
the proposed ideas.

Operator + Combine

Combine is to merge two or more parts into one part while still
providing the same functions as before. Other wording for combine
is converge, unify or consolidate.

Product ideas:

Merge CPU+Monitor+Keyboard+Mouse into one unit .... that is a
Laptop.

Combine Keyboard+Mouse into a single piece .... keyboard with a
trackball, keyboard with button type joy-stick, touchpad (no mouse but
achieves the function of a mouse).

Combine Storage + Monitor ?

Combine CPU+Storage... the Brick Computer - A cheap portable.

Operator
- Take Out

Take away, minus, one or more component of the system.

Computer without CPU .... a modular computer with easy CPU upgrades.

Computer without Storage ... a network Java computer.

Computer without keyboard and mouse monitor... server farm.

Computer less CPU, keyboards etc with only storage.... network
storage system or thumb drive.

Operator / Divide

Divide is to segment the system or components further and/or make it
removable/pluggable

Make the properties of the system
or its components non-uniform or irregular. Symmetry is a typical
psychological inertia of our mind. Making it irregular breaks this
inertia. Symmetry means unchanging with respect to certain axis or
property. To break the symmetry, just create a dependency relationships
between properties of the system components or the system and its
environment.

Create a dependency between Computer and Table - furniture tailored
made for computer or vice versa. Make computer a decoration piece of
furniture.

Create a dependency between TV and computer. Let the computer
control the TV or vice versa (Invert Operator)

Reverse the relationships between the components of the system or its
relationships with the environment. The relationship can be relative
spatial, time or other physical attributes as in the Dimension described
above.

Invert Operator is the most common operator taught in Creative
Thinking.

Inversing the Desktop components spatial relationships into all
integrated one give rise to the laptop computer.

We can also split out all the components of the computer into
separate single function standalone portable components e.g.
portable drive, thumb-drive. monitor of different types, keyboards,
mouse, etc.

Operator ∞ intensify

Change a parameter of the system or its component and increase it to
the extreme value either positive or negative direction.

Intensify CPU - have super-computing power.

intensify Storage - unlimited storage on one end or no-storage on
the other.

intensify Keyboard - super large keyboard, special keyboard, or no
keyboard for disable

Changing the size of the Desktop computer gives portable, laptop,
ultra-laptop, PDA, wearable. The wearable computers uses many operators
described in BVITS (keyboardless(voice command), small visor for
monitor, power by motions, clothing as conductor etc.)

Operator
v drop-in

Learn from the best practices of other industries,
countries & cultures or living organisms and apply it to the system and
its environment.

Learning from the Aircraft industries to ensure secured and reliable
software and to make reliable hardware.

Learning from different languages such as Chinese Input to enhance
English input methods with picking from a list of possible words.

Step 3 Introducing Another Dimension

In step 2 when we apply the operator on the system & environment, we
tend to think in terms of physical objects or group of people if we use
BVITS for management. Dimension tells us there are more ways to look at
the issue. For those familiar with Triz, this Dimension thing provides
of breaking of contradictions (A Contradiction is a dilemma that
requires two conflict attributes to exist at the same time. See Triz
literatures for physical and technical contradictions).

When we can't say Divide an component into physically, we can divide
them across the time dimension, or change its physical state of solid
into say liquid or gas and so forth. We could applies the dimension
together say at the beginning it is liquid and later it is solid (e.g.
Concrete).

Dimension can be

Space:

where, location

Magnitude

2 D Shape & Area Size

3 D Volume or Another Dimension

Relationships between 2 or more objects

inside, cover, outside, Nesting

left, right, top, bottom

upside down

tilt at an angle, from horizontal (on table), mount it
on wall

from vertical relationship to horizontal relationship

centralized, decentralized

first -> last

speed

Mobility

continuous improvement

dynamic teams

vibration - resonant frequency

Time:

start, duration, end

pre-action, in-action, post-action

stages of a life-cycle

frequency

time of day, week, seasons,

states change

sequence, timing

concurrent actions

Transformation:

color and its transparency

solid-liquid-gas

fixed, joints, multiple joints, flexible

smooth, holes, porous

gravity, mechanical, thermal, chemical, sonar,
electromagnetic

Others:

optimization, introduce intermediary, self-serve

Consolidating and Actualization

The Operators can be used in conjunctions to generate many ideas. The
ideas can be consolidated into new innovative product.

Ideas Generator Program

The BVITS methods described here can be easily computerized. In fact,
it is better for a machine to generate ideas than for us to manually go
through them. It will prevent our bias and inertia from stopping the
seemingly ridiculous ideas.

The program is written with the
Axon Idea
Processor It is included as a program in the Generator Demo Section of the Axon software.

You can try it by downloading the trial version and
test it out. It is also my pleasure to introduce Axon Idea Processor to
you for your other thinking work.